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Roll Call back on track as SCi funds new development studio

Original IP title Roll Call is back on SCi Entertainment's release schedule, after the British publisher agreed to fund a new development studio founded by staff who had worked on the title at the now-defunct Argonaut.

Original IP title Roll Call is back on SCi Entertainment's
release schedule, after the British publisher agreed to fund
a new development studio founded by staff who had worked on
the title at the now-defunct Argonaut.

Rocksteady Studios has been formed by Argonaut Edgware's
creative director Jamie Walker and head of production Sefton
Hill, and has employed several other former Argonaut staff at
its North London offices.

The team will continue work on Roll Call, a title which
Argonaut was developing for SCi before the company folded
last year, and which is currently scheduled for release in
2006.

SCi has acquired 25.1 per cent of the new company's shares,
and has made a loan of UKP 250,000 to the firm as well as
signing a development contract with them for Roll Call.

This marks SCi's second such engagement with a development
studio, after the South London based company acquired Pivotal
Games, creators of the Conflict series, following the
liquidation of the developer's parent company Kaboom Studios.

However, the company - which has always focused on working
with third party developers rather than building a major
internal studio operation - will continue to work with
Rocksteady on the same basis that it does with other external
developers.

"We are very pleased that we have secured the development of
Roll Call which is an exciting product and strengthens our
pipeline," commented SCi chief executive Jane Cavanagh, in a
statement made to the City this morning.

"The additional strategic investment in Rocksteady is great
news for SCi as it allows us to develop what we anticipate
will be a long and successful partnership with a very
talented development team," she concluded.